


Brains vs Brawn: Epilogue

by Mars_McKie



Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Fan theory, Revelations, Secret Identity, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-10
Updated: 2018-02-10
Packaged: 2019-03-16 07:44:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13631814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mars_McKie/pseuds/Mars_McKie
Summary: On the return journey, Brains had plenty of time to talk.Warning: this fic contains Spoilers for TAG season 2, MAJOR spoilers for the season 2 finale (Brains vs Brawn), mixed with fan theory. You have been warned!





	Brains vs Brawn: Epilogue

**Author's Note:**

> Second Warning: This fic contains my prediction as to the identity of the Mechanic. I have no idea if it's where TAG is going with him or not, but I found it fun to think in this way! If you'd rather not know my theory, turn back now!
> 
> On their way back to Earth in the space elevator, Brains had plenty of time to talk to his passenger...

Brains could feel his heart hammering in his chest as John’s countdown neared its end. He, MAX and the Mechanic had made it back to the space elevator by the skin of their teeth and as they disengaged from Project Sentinel, the space elevator was sent spinning by the explosion. Brains wrestled with the controls, and soon the small, low-powered (but very well engineered) craft was stable again.

“International Rescue, this is B-Brains. We’re coming home,” Brains stammered over the comms, adjusting their trajectory so that soon they were gliding through the wreckage of Project Sentinel. He could feel the collective relief of the team (and he laughed as Scott acquiested to Kayo’s request of one more round of Pass the Hood-shaped Parcel).

The space elevator would need to reconnect with the Nano-Tether on Thunderbird 5 in order to return to Earth, so Brains activated the homing program and the space elevator’s rockets kicked in, guiding them back to the space station. Brains hailed John so that he was expecting them, then muted the comms.

“MAX, would you keep an eye on the auto-p-pilot?” said Brains.

His mechanical aide gave a whirr and extended its legs so that it could monitor the controls while EOS’s on-board camera also swivelled to survey MAX, offering Brains some privacy.

Now that there was no imminent danger, the Mechanic was slumped into the single chair, his face in his hands. Brains set his gloved hand on his shoulder. After a moment, the Mechanic looked up at him.

“You’re going to hand me over to the GDF,” the Mechanic said in his deep, distorted voice. It was a resigned statement of fact rather than a question.

“It’s my duty,” said Brains. He bent down next to the Mechanic so that they were on the same level (a difficult feat as the two of them and MAX were already cramped in the vessel).

The Mechanic dropped his hands into his lap and sighed; a strange noise though the voice distorter. “Then you should have let me destroy the Hood. It would have given me my freedom... and saved you so much trouble.”

Brains gave a small smile despite himself. “But that’s not w-who we are. We could n-never have allowed you to do that.”

This was the closest any of them had ever been to the Mechanic. With the danger past them, Brains finally had time to distinguish the man from the machine. The Mechanic had implied, on their first encounter, that he knew Brains, but the engineer couldn’t think who their dangerous new adversary could be. Now, with his mask of rage slipping, Brains thought there was something familiar about the man.

“You people ignored all of my threats,” the Mechanic continued. “All of my warnings. You should have heeded them and stayed out of my way.”

“I’m a-afraid we’re more stubborn than that!” said Brains. The Mechanic’s face was covered, his voice was being altered, his haircut was different and Brains certainly didn’t remember him having any tattoos in the past, but this close Brains noticed something about his eyes... the shape of his face... “And you should know that too... Kyrano.”

The Mechanic looked up sharply at the mention of the name. Even MAX and EOS turned around before remembering themselves.

“I-I’m right, aren’t I?” said Brains. The Mechanic confirmed it with his silence, turning away from him. This was the man who had been Head of Security for International Rescue in the years that they set themselves up, who’d had a hand in building and contributing parts to the Thunderbirds themselves. Suddenly, the events of the past year were all making more sense. “That’s how you had such an in depth k-knowledge of our crafts, our communication channels, our security s-systems... that’s how you broke into the Gran Roca Ranch s-so easily when it should have been i-impossible!”

The Mechanic huffed a laugh and he finally looked human again. “Tell Tanusha she should update the passcode- using my birthday was an obvious choice!”

“Kayo misses you,” Brains said bluntly. “We know she does.”

“I’ve missed her,” said the Mechanic, his hands clasping in his lap as he thought of his daughter. He paused before asking, “She was flying today, in the stealth craft?”

“Thunderbird Shadow, yes,” Brains nodded.

“I could have seriously hurt her...” the Mechanic muttered, his voice small.

“But why did you attack us?” asked Brains, bewildered.

“I was confused,” the Mechanic admitted. “I thought, perhaps, as you were saving the Hood, and that time he helped Master Scott at the dam, that meant you were in league with him-”

“Never!” Brains cried loudly and the Mechanic jumped. “Why d-didn’t you tell us sooner? We would have helped y-you!”

“No. I couldn’t have asked you to get involved,” said the Mechanic, in a tone that made it clear he wasn’t to be argued with. Brains recollected his thoughts and tried a different approach.

“Kyrano, what h-happened? Why did you leave I-International R-Rescue?”

The Mechanic stared at the floor. He didn’t talk for a moment, as if he was trying to remember the details himself. Finally, he started to speak. “After Mr Tracy’s incident, I wanted answers about what had happened. My retirement was to be my cover and I knew you would all become too busy with rescues to notice my absence. I was sure that my half-brother was involved, but none of you would have approved of my methods for getting answers. That is why I left. But when I found the Hood-”

“He took control over you,” Brains finished. The Mechanic nodded.

“He had a trap waiting for me and Transom inserted the chip into my brain,” said the Mechanic, holding his head in his hands again. “The Hood took my freedom, forced me to tell him what I knew of International Rescues’ secrets, then set me to work building his machines. When I resisted, he made it hurt. Either he would use his cybernetic eye, or he’d let Mullion have a turn.”

Brains didn’t know who Transom and Mullion were (he could only guess they might be two of the Hood’s goons) but he shuddered to think what his old friend had gone through. All of the times he had thought about getting in touch with Kyrano to find out how retirement was treating him, then putting it off when the rescue calls came through, or when he was rebuilding their crafts, or when he was developing new equipment... one call and he would have realised something was wrong.

The Mechanic seemed so sense Brains’ train of thought, as he said, “If wouldn’t have mattered if anyone had tried to make contact. The times that Tanusha did, the Hood made me record messages to send to her. It was the Hood’s plan that no one would ever notice I was gone.”

Brains gulped. “But the Hood will answer for his c-crimes. International Rescue have caught him and we will be h-handing him over to the GDF.”

“You will be arresting me too,” the Mechanic surmised.

“You haven’t acted like an innocent m-man,” Brains agreed. “You’ve caused so much d-damage, and so many p-people could have gotten hurt today.”

“I thought it best to destroy the Hood from up here, at a safe distance, where he couldn’t take control over me,” the Mechanic reasoned again. “I discovered it by accident, when he made me bring Mr Tracy’s TV21 up from the ocean bed. Even if it meant sacrificing accuracy, I could make up for it with power.”

Now Brains could remember; the two of them and Grandma Tracy had been monitoring that day and watched in terror as Jeff had bailed out of the struck craft. So that was how the Mechanic had known where to dive for the TV21, and that he had been forced to use such ruthless strength... For months, Brains had blamed the Mechanic for the destruction of Thunderbird 4, but if they had known at the time that the man was once one of their own, it might have been too disturbing.

“You s-said you were looking for answers about M-Mr Tracy’s incident,” Brains said. He was almost too terrified to hear the answer to his question, to dare to get their hopes up, but he asked it anyway. “Do you think there is a chance he’s still a-alive?”

There was a moment of silence between them before the Mechanic said, “It’s not impossible.”

Brains nodded. Thunderbird 5 was looming outside the window and it was important that they finish this conversation.

“I will speak to the GDF,” Brains said firmly. “They have to know that the Hood had p-power over you and to start with you weren’t in c-control of your actions. They will f-find a way to protect you from him, and International Rescue will help you get free of him. We will save you, Kyrano.”

The Mechanic bowed his head and said nothing. There was a resignation to it, and Brains remembered the man that Kyrano had once been- strong and unrelenting in his role as Head of Security, but with a softer side that saw him watering the plants in the villa after his daily patrol, then cooking a delicious evening meal for the whole family. International Rescue had suffered a great blow the day that he had retired.

Calling through to John who had been concerned by the space elevator’s radio silence, Brains confirmed everything was “R.A.D.”. He took over from MAX as they connected to the Nano-Tether and as they sailed back towards Earth, Brains pulled up a secure connection to the GDF to make his briefing.

“Brains,” said the Mechanic in a small voice. Brains looked around in surprise. “Thank you.”

**Author's Note:**

> We know that in TOS, the Hood was able to control Kyrano using hypnosis, shown with his eyes changing colour, like how the Hood is able to control the Mechanic. 
> 
> All we know about Kyrano in TAG is from the additional material; he was once Head of Security and retired after Jeff's disappearance. When you consider this is relation to the Mechanic being able to hack into their ships and security and whatnot, things do start to make some sense!
> 
> Also I'm calling them Transom and Mullion for now because look at them!!!
> 
> That's my theory anyway! Feel free to add your own thoughts or theories!


End file.
